Ohio State wins ranked matchup with Iowa,
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jeremiah Smith, and No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 14 Iowa 31-14 on Saturday.
Sayin was 20-of-27 passing, and his favorite target was Smith, the nation’s top receiver. Smith had 11 catches for 206 yards, becoming Ohio State’s leader in receptions (207), receiving yards (3,381) and receiving touchdowns (36).
Smith caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Sayin with 12 seconds left in the first half to give the Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) a 17-6 lead.
Sayin threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 6:11 left in the third quarter. Smith struck a Heisman pose toward the Iowa fans in Kinnick Stadium’s north end zone after the catch.
Sayin opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin McCuin on Ohio State’s first possession for an early 7-0 lead.
Ja’Kobi Jackson closed the scoring for the Buckeyes with a 7-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Iowa (4-1, 1-1) got its only points on two field goals and Braeden Jackson’s fourth-quarter 2-yard touchdown run. The Hawkeyes were held to just 238 yards as Ohio State, which had 484 yards, had almost a 17-minute advantage in time of possession.
Takeaways
Ohio State: Sayin and the Buckeyes slowly carved into Iowa’s defense, then hit the big play late with the long touchdown pass to Smith. Since the 24-23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12, Ohio State has outscored its last three opponents 136-36.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were carrying momentum coming off last week’s 20-19 win over Michigan, but were too conservative early in this game. They answered Ohio State touchdowns with field goals, and that wasn’t going to be good enough in a game like this.
Up next: Ohio State hosts Maryland next Saturday.
OHIO 13, KENT ST. 10
KENT (AP) -- Matt Vezza had a touchdown run, Will Hryszko made two field goals and Ohio won its Mid-American Conference opener with a 13-10 victory over Kent State on Saturday.
Hryszko connected on a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Vezza scored from 35 yards late in the second as Ohio (3-2, 1-0) took a 10-3 lead into the break.
Mason King’s 1-yard touchdown run capped Kent State’s eight-play, 51-yard drive that tied it 10-all. Hryszko’s 44-yard field goal ended the scoring with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
Dru DeShields led the Golden Flashes on a 10-play, 46-yard drive to the Ohio 15, but Sean Leonard missed a 32-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the game.
Vezza and Levi Davis combined for 8-of-14 passing for 72 yards, and 11 carries for 67 yards rushing for Ohio. Duncan Brune added 86 yards rushing on 18 carries for the Bobcats.
DeShields completed 20 of 35 passes for 217 yards but threw two interceptions for Kent State (2-3, 1-1).
Up next: Ohio hosts Central Michigan on Saturday.
JAMES MADISON 45, MARSHALL 17
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) -- Camden Coleman threw three touchdown passes, and George Pettaway rushed for two scores and a career-high 206 yards to lead unbeaten James Madison to a 45-17 victory over Marshall on Saturday in the Thundering Herd’s Sun Belt Conference opener.
Coleman completed 21 of 32 passes for 263 yards for James Madison (5-0, 2-0), which fell behind for the first time this season before scoring 28 straight in the final 12 minutes of the second quarter.
Pettaway scored on runs of 73 and 33 yards between a pair of touchdown passes from Coleman as the Dukes turned a four-point deficit into a 38-14 halftime lead.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson had a 3-yard scoring toss to Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw on Marshall’s first possession for a 7-0 lead.
Coleman connected with Corey Scott for a 53-yard touchdown to tie it after Michael Scott’s 45-yard kickoff return set the Dukes up at their own 45-yard line.
TJ Lester’s 1-yard scoring run gave Marshall a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter, but Coleman and Corey Scott teamed up for a 12-yard touchdown and the Dukes never trailed again. Corey Scott finished with five receptions for 104 yards.
Pettaway followed with his long touchdown runs, and Coleman hit Noah Grevious for a 20-yard score and a big lead at halftime after scoring on six straight possessions.
Nick Herman had a 3-yard touchdown run in the final minute for the Dukes.
Del Rio-Wilson totaled 221 yards on 21-for-37 passing for Marshall (3-2). He and backup Zion Turner both had a pass picked off by DJ Kelly.
Marshall junior linebacker Chason Clark was injured near the end of the third quarter and taken off the field on a stretcher.
Up next: Marshall hosts Coastal Carolina on Saturday.